Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Year in review: ‘Minimal genome’ makes its debut
A synthetic cell reported this year jettisons unnecessary genes and embraces human design principles.
- Neuroscience
Year in review: Alzheimer’s drug may clarify disease’s origins
Researchers will now test whether a treatment that swept away amyloid brain plaques also improves cognitive performance.
- Oceans
Readers contemplate corals and more
Coral engineering, ancient almanacs and more in reader feedback.
- Health & Medicine
The fight against infectious diseases is still an uphill battle
The fight against infectious diseases is far from over. The last several decades have seen many outbreaks and global pandemic scares.
- Ecosystems
Oyster deaths linked to ‘atmospheric rivers’
Atmospheric rivers bring strong storms that could have been behind a 2011 California oyster die-off.
- Earth
Fossil microbes show how some life bounced back after dino-killing impact
Pioneering microbes colonized the waters above the Chicxulub crater within hundreds of years following the impact, new research shows.
- Life
Zika induces brain cell die-off
Cell biologists are learning more about how the Zika virus disrupts brain cells to cause microcephaly.
- Life
Cell biologists learn how Zika kills brain cells, devise schemes to stop it
Cell biologists are learning more about how the Zika virus disrupts brain cells to cause microcephaly. Meanwhile, several strategies to combat the virus show preliminary promise.
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- Paleontology
Dinosaur tail preserved in amber, with feathers
The tail of a dinosaur trapped in amber includes both feathers and identifiable bits of bone.
- Life
Cells avoiding suicide may play role in spread of cancer
A newly discovered process can pull cells back from the brink of death.
- Genetics
Epigenetic marks may help assess toxic exposure risk — someday
Exposure to things in the environment may change chemical tags on DNA and proteins, but it’s still unclear how to use that data to assess health risks.
